A continuation of Jan Troell's epic The
Emigrants (though it doesn't require any prior knowledge
of that film), this sequel picks up as Swedish farmers Karl-Oskar
(von Sydow) and Kristina (Ullmann) are adjusting to their new life
in America—facing a stream of hardships, disease, and war.
Director, photographer, and editor Troell sensitively portrays the
immigrants’ relationship to nature with a keen eye for detail that
is “as alert to the sins that taint national history as it is to
the small dramas that ultimately seal the course and quality of
lives” (The New York Times).